Acetylene-gas generator.



No. 802,833. PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905. M. THAYER & J. E. REYNOLDS.

AOETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. l2. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 802,833 i PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905. M. THAYER E J. E. REYNOLDS.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.12, 1904.

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srarps PATENT clarion MARTIN THAYER AND JONATHAN E. REYNOLDS, OFVVAREHAM, MASSA- CHUSETTS.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24:, 1905.

Application filed October 12,1904. Serial No. 228,148.

To all whom it nea/y concern:

Be it known that we, MARTIN THAYER and JONATHAN E. REYNOLDS, citizens ofthe United States, residing in Wareham, in the county of Plymouth andState of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inAcetylene-Generators, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on thedrawings representing like parts.

The present invention relates to an acetylens-gas generator, and ismainly embodied in a feed-controlling valve for the carbid, the purposebeing to obtain a valve which will l feed regularlyT in accordance withthe amount of gas consumed and without the use of any abnormal power,the danger of clogging the valve and preventing a closure thereof beingalso positively obviated. The valve is also so arranged as to beself-cleaning, so that no deposit can accumulate and interfere with thevalve action. The valve is controlled by the action of the upper memberof the gasometer, which may be of any usual type, the rising and fallingmovements of the upper member of the gasometer being imparted to thevalve to close and open the same, respectively, so that the carbid isfed into the water to supply additional gas when the gasometer memberfalls and the feed cut off when the member rises. ln accordance with theinvention the valve members are composed of flexible fingers arrangedclosely enough together to practically prevent the escape of the lumpsof carbid between them, the valve preferably having twooppositelydisposed members the vlingers of which are curved downwardlysubstantially on the are of a valve-actuating member or rock-shaft, sothat as the rock-shaft rotates the fingers of one set will be separatedfrom those of the other, thus affording a space between the two for thefeed of the carbid. By shaping the fingers as described the movementthereof with relation to the mass of carbid which is supported upon thevalve is substantially transverse to the line of gravitation, so that itis not necessary to lift the mass in either movement of the valve. Theactuating member for the valve, moreover, is at one side of the hopper,and the lingers are inclined laterally downward toward said actuator, sothat the space below the meetingpoint of the valve members is entirelyunobstructed, leaving a free space for the fall of the carbid as soon asthe valve begins to open. Furthermore, in the closing of the valve if alump of carbid is caught in the opening between the two valve membersthe lingers will yield and let the lump of carbid slip between them, andthe valve will not be prevented from closing by the interposed lump ofcarbid, as might be the case if the valve members were solid. ln theconstruction chosen to illustrate the invention the valve is at thebottom of a hopper to contain carbid, the said hopper being supportedover a generating-chamber of the ordinary type, which is incommunication with a gasometer consisting, for example, of a water-tank,with an inverted gas-tank floating therein, so as to rise as the gasfills the space between the water and the interior of the inverted tank,and the valve is controlled by the rising and falling movement of theinverted tank, the former movement closing the carbid-controlling valveand the latter movement opening the same. The movable member is operatedby means of an actuating member or rockshaft, which projects into thegeneratingchamber below the hopper through a suitable stuffing-box, thesaid rock-shaft being at one side of the hopper.

A further feature of the invention consists in means for positivelypreventing the blowing out of the gas from the gasometer, due to anoverfeed of the carbid, thereby obviating the need of providing thegasometer with a safety blow-off, the device being so arranged that thevalve will be wholly closed after the gasometer has reached a certainpredetermined position, the said gasometer being free, however, to risefurther in case of an excess of gas, so that the gas will not blow outof the gasometer, as is the case when the close of the valve preventsfurther upward movement of the movable gasolneter member. This isaccomplished by providing the actuator connected with the gasometer withmeans for becoming automatically disengaged from the valve-actuatingmember at a certain predetermined period in the operation, the saidmember becoming automatically rengaged as the gasometer returns to itslower position, so that the operation may be repeated as often as isnecessary.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upper portion of a generatorembodying the invention, a part of the hopper being broken away andshown in section to illustrate the valve. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectionthrough the hopper, the valve and its actuating parts being mainly shownin plan and Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation looking toward theright of Fig. 1 with the lower portion of the hopper shown in section toillustrate the valve.

The hopper a is supported within the upward extension A2 at the top ofthe generating-chamber A, said extension having a cover A3, which isremovable for the purpose of supplying the hopper with carbid, butarranged to be tightly sealed when the apparatus is in use. The valve,which is located near the bottom of the hopper, consists of a number ofsubstantially parallel exible iingers b, which are shown as wiresconnected at their lower ends with an actuating member Z22, herein shownas a rock-shaft supported in lugs a2, projecting below the valve at thebottom of the hopper and extending through a stuffing-box A4 in the wallof the extension A2, the arrangement being such that the rotatingmovement of the rockshaft b2 will open or close the valve. As best shownin Fig. 3, the rock-shaft b2 is at one side of the hopper, and the ngersb project upward and inward from said rock-shaft to a meeting-point inthe hopper, from which point they are curved substantially on an arcfrom the center of the rock-shaft b2 and are vextended through openingsa3 in the walls of the hopper. These openings constitute supports forthe outer ends of the fingers and also serve to strip or clean olf anyaccumulation of carbid which may adhere to the fingers, so that in theoperation of the valve it is kept clean and free from any substancewhich might interfere with its proper operation. As herein shown, thevalve is provided with two oppositely-disposed sets of fingers, thefingers bm being shown as mounted on the rock-shaft b2", while therock-shaft b2 is provided with a gear-segment b3, intermeshing with thegearsegment 530 on the rock-shaft 520, so that the movement of therock-shaft b2 is transmitted to the rock-shaft 520, causing the membersand 191 to move toward and from the meeting-point. lt is to beunderstood, however, that this construction is not essential, since thesupply of carbid may be properly controlled by the movement of one valvemember only. To open and close the valve automatically in response tothe consumption of the gas, the rock-shaft b2 is arranged to becontrolled by an operating device c, herein shown as an arm connectedwith the upper or iioating member C2 of the gasometer C, which may be ofany suitable or usual type. For this purpose the rock-shaft b2 isprovided with an arm b, having a counterweight b5,

the said arm being engaged by the member c to rock the counter-shaft inresponse to the vertical movement of the said member. ln order toprevent the gas from blowing out of the gasometer if there is an excessof gas generated after the valve has been closed, the member c isarranged to be automatically disengaged from the rock-shaft at thatperiod in the operation when the valve has become -fully closed. Asherein shown, the armb4 is pivoted at b and movable in a guide b7,whichis curved at the upper end, so that after the arm b* has risen a certainpredetermined distance the arm will be moved by the guide on the pivot bout of the path of the member c, so that the two become automaticallydisengaged from each other. The member c is shown as made in two parts,the lower of which is provided with a latch member c2 at the end, whichpermits the said member c to move downward without acting on the arm b4,there being an upper member c3, which is arranged to engage said arm atthe top in the downward movement of said member, so as to open the valveas the gas becomes ,discharged from the gasometer. lhile the latchmember is normally out of the path of y the arm b4 after it has becomedisengaged therefrom there is liable to be some lateral movement of theupper member of the gasometer, and in case of such movement the latchpermits the member c to travel down without starting to open the valveuntil the upper member c3 comes into operation. This prevents animmediate feed of carbid upon the first reduction of the quantity of gasin the gasometer, thus giving a certain flexibility of control whichwould not otherwise be obtainable.

In the operation of the device as the member C2 of the gasometer fallsthe member c3, acting upon the top of the lever b4, turns the rock-shaftb2 in a direction to separate theY valve members, and thus permits thecarbid to feed down between them. As the gasometer fills and itsfloating member rises the valve members are moved toward theirmeeting-point, finally reaching the position shown in Fig. 3, thusclosing the bottom of the hopper and cutting ofi1 the supply of carbidfrom the generator. The fingers are close enough together to prevent theescape of the smaller particles of carbid between them and at the sametime are sufficiently flexible to admit of the closing of the valve,even if some ofthe larger particles get caught between the valvemembers. Furthermore, any particles thus caught or any deposit formedupon the valve members will be dislodged or scraped ofl` in the openingmovement of the valve, the result being that the valve is kept inperfect condition and is always capable of being closed eifectually whenthe gasometer is supplied. The shape and flexibility of the fingers,moreover, are

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and without fluctuation.

What we claim is- 1. In an acetylene-gas generator, a hopper for thecarbid; a valve consisting of a series of substantially parallel lingersprojecting across the outlet from the hopper; and means for producing alongitudinal movement of said lingers in a direction transverse to thevertical axis of the hopper to control the gravityfeed of the carbidfrom the hopper.

2. In a generator for acetylene gas, the combination with the hopper; ofa va ve consisting of a plurality of ileXible fingers connected at oneend with a rock-shaft below and at one side of the hopper, the upperportions of said iingers being curved on an arc struck from the axis ofsaid rock-shaft; the rock-shaft aforesaid g and openings in the wall ofthe hopper for said fingers, as set forth.

I3. ln an acetylene-gas generator, a hopper for the carbid; a valveconsisting of flexible lingers projecting across the outlet from thehopper; a gasometer and means connected therewith for producing alongitudinal movernent of said fingers in a direction transverse to thevertical axis of the hopper to close said valve and means forautomatically disconnecting said operating means from said valve aftersaid valve has been closed, as set forth.

4. rlhe combination with the hopper; of a valve consisting of flexible`lingers; a rockshaft below and at one side of said hopper connectedwith said fingers, and projecting from said hopper through astuffing-box; a pivoted lever connected with said rock-shaft a guide forsaid lever having a curved portion to produce a movement thereof on itspivot; and an engaging member for said lever having a rectilinearmovement, substantially as described.

5. ln a gravity-feed acetylene generator, a valve located in the bottomof the carbidhopper to support the carbid when closed, said valveconsisting of a series of substantially parallel flexible 'lingers 3 andmeans for moving said fingers longitudinally in a direction transverseto the vertical axis of the hopper to control the feed of the carbid,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARTIN THAYER. JONATHAN E. REYNOLDS. Witnesses:

MARGARET C. CovENRY, HENRY J. LIVERMORE.

